


Shallow Promises

by Pyle



Series: The Other Humans [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Judgement, Language, Redemption, Spoilers, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-09 22:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5558900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyle/pseuds/Pyle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You were so busy trying to get revenge, you forgot the one thing she actually wanted from you - to show mercy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Revenge

"Hurry up you shit, we've gotta go!" You nag your sister, who's drawing one of those echo flowers that always gave you goosebumps. Voices should die with the people they inhabited, not live on in some twisted macabre limbo. 

"Come on brother, what are we in a rush for?" She says, adjusting her round lens glasses and pocketing one of those fancy mechanical pencils. "It's beautiful, let's just..." She breathes in slowly, and exhales as if in a yoga stance. "Take it in and enjoy it. The echoes of the past ring through this glorious cathedral," You would never admit it, but your sister had a way with words you couldn't quite match. Especially after Mom died, the incident only seemed to improve her as a person.

"It creeps me out, sis. This place is full of ghosts and monsters," You gaze at the cyan neon tint of the swamp, inspecting the colors and brightness. The water shines as if thousands of LED lights were installed under them, all glowing gorgeously. The ceiling contrasts the swamp with it's hungry darkness, as if challenging the water for dominance. You see pretty red stones reflect light back at your retinas, and for a second you relax. Everything is okay.

 But it's not. You see movement in a pair of bushes.

"You know, the monsters here aren't even that scary. They just need some friendship, you'll see." You don't look at her, instead fixating your gaze at the bushes. Your sister turns around and looks at you with a hint of concern in her voice.

"You okay? We can start walking if you want, I think I'm done drawing anyways." The rustling in the bushes stop. Your hand relaxes on the grip of your revolver.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Come on, let's go...uh, nerd." You let your hand drop to your side and begin to walk across a bridge.

She scoffs, but follows you anyways.

 

**********************************************************************************

 

*BANG!*

 

The fish monster drops to her knees, clutching at her left eyes and screaming in pain. Blood was everywhere, on your jacket, on your hands, on your face, everywhere. You had shot her as soon as she had shown herself after impaling your sister with one of her wretched spears, and you were holding your sister in your hands trying to comfort her but you knew there was nothing you could do but watch her bleed out. You try to do something, at least something, so you try to pull out the spear headfirst.

"N-no, Chris stop! Y-y-you'll only make it-" You refuse to sit and wait for her to die, and you yank it out as quick and as hard as you can, and blood spurts all over you and you smell iron in your nostrils.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE ON ME GOD DAMNIT! NOT AGAIN!" You wail, you cry you try so hard to keep her alive but she only fades more and more with every move you make to save her. You lift her upper body off the cold cavern floor, holding your sister, the only thing you have left, close to you. You take off your jacket and try to stop the bleeding, but then you realize that it's hopeless because you can't stop internal bleeding with a fucking jacket and yo-

"C-c-chris...it's too late for me," You feel a soft small hand caress your cheek, and you're crying, her blood on your face separated by your burning tears.

"I'm so sorry sis..." you rest your forehead against hers, pulling her as close as you can. "You don't deserve this, you're just a god damn kid..." your chest heaves and you're sobbing, because it's not fair how someone so young could be taken away so soon. She coughs, and let's out a chuckle. She was braver than you, like always. No matter what, she would always stand her ground and wasn't afraid to show who she really was.

"W-we're both j-j-just kids, brother," she coughs, and you can see through the hole in her chest as she heels over in a fit. You take a look at your younger sister's face, her glasses smudged and uneven. She only has a soft smile on her face, and she's not even scared. You don't understand.

"You're so brave, sis...so smart sis...so kind, sis..." you mumble praises trying to hold on as long as you can. She won't last much longer.

"I-I-I just..." she takes a moment to breathe, but her breathing is so shallow and dry it's like she's choking on nails. "...promise me something..." Her eyelids are droopy, and her chest begins to move more slowly.

"Promise you what sis? Tell me," you lean in close, putting your ear near her mouth.

"...do not lose h-h-hope and...f-f-forgive them, C-Chris." She exhales, but she does not inhale. You begin to panic, you slap her and shake her but she won't wake up and you don't know what do.

"N-n-n-n-no! Wake up please! P-p-please! Don't leave me alone again!" you yell hysterically, stopping to let in a sob once in a while. You cradle her frail corpse and cry into her long black hair and you sit there, praying for her to wake up. You let out one last choked sob, and you forget about the one who took your dear sister's life. Holstering your revolver, you pick up sis, one arm under her knees and the other one cradling her head. You wrap her in your leather jacket, and you close her eyes with your two index fingers. You cover her face with your hat, and carry her past the monster that had taken her life, setting her down on a bench by the cave entrance.

You turn to face the fish monster who killed your sister and you're filled with rage, but sis would have hated you if you killed it.

 

***************************************************************************************

"What are you drawing faggot?"

"Hey! Stop!"

"Oh, what? You gonna fight me for it you baby?"

"No..."

"Then what are you going to do?!"

"May I please have my notebook back?"

***************************************************************************************

Dust.

So much dust, everywhere, and you didn't have to fire a single shot. You just beat them all to death with the butt of your revolver, showing no mercy. Not to the women, elderly, or even the kids. They would know true loss, you would make sure. There will not be a single monster left in the Hotlands once you were done with these bastards. Your pants were caked with dust and ash, your white t-shirt stained with sweat and blood, but the dust covered most of it up. Your hands were white as snow, and your once clean and shaven face was covered with a ragged beard tangled with monster remains. You were angry, broken and out for revenge. You didn't know what you were going to do once you left the Underground, but you knew you had to leave. You can't give up.

****************************************************************************************

 

You were in a huge pitch black room. Suddenly, studio lights flick on and Mettaton stands in the middle, and the spotlights reveal a huge audience. You realize you're on a stage. A giant monitor flickers to life, and you see a graph of ratings. You have no idea what the hell is going on, but you'll find out soon enough. The crowd jeered as you walked upon the stage to meet Mettaton face to face, and you were pissed. Mettaton had toyed with you your entire journey through Hotland, and now he wanted you to perform. You were going to give a show alright, just he wait.

"HUMAN! OUR FINAL CONFRONTATION BEGINS! IN A FEW BATTLE INTENSE MOMENTS, YOU WILL SLAIN AND YOUR SOUL TAKEN TO ASGORE!" You take a step forward, revolver rounds clinking together in your pockets as you took your stance. You pull out your revolver and pull back the hammer. "GIVE UP NOW, AND YOUR DEATH WILL BE QUICK AND PAINLESS!" Pain? You deserve pain. You couldn't even keep the last thing holding you together safe, and like a star you were collapsing in on itself.

"I'd like to see you try you fucking calculator!" You snarl, your face turning into a hideous teeth filled grin.

"SO BE IT!"

You fire a shot, and Mettaton falls face down on the ground. You nicked his wheel.

"Are you fucking serious? I've seen Froggits give me more of a fight!" You laugh and walk up to the collapse robot noticing a switch on his back. "What is this, your off switch?" Mettaton stays silent, but you take it as a yes.

You flip the switch.

"DID YOU." The crowd stares in awe.

"JUST FLIP." Everything is silent.

"MY SWITCH?" A smoke cloud surrounds the area where Mettaton lays.

"OH YES!" The ratings skyrocket, going from a measley 4,000 to over 12,000.

"DARLING, I'M GOING TO MAKE YOUR LAST MOMENTS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!" You barely dodge a metal heart that whizzes by your ear like a fly. The assaults are relentless, forcing you to move and practically breaking your back in the process. You try to fire a shot off, but every time you line up a shot the robot starts spasming out in an attempt to do a dance or something. You fire a shot vaguely in his direction, but you end up ricocheting off his armor. 

"THAT'S THE FASTEST I'VE SEEN YOU MOVE IN A WHILE DARLING!"

"Fuck you faggot!"

"YOU WISH DARLING." He winks at you while he shows off his legs. He throws a few of those heart shaped things again, and you're forced to fire if you ever have a hope of beating him.

*BANG!* you fire another shot, this one hitting him square in the chest. It bounces off. Mettaton grins at you.

"TIME FOR A POP QUIZ! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY NEW BODY?"

"You're fucking gay!"

"WELL! I SAY WE SHOULD HAVE A HEART TO HEART, SHOULDN'T WE?" You figure that's keyword for 'special attack'. Suddenly, you're forced to dodge a dozen or more of those damned hearts that threaten to slice you in half if you're not careful. You roll to your right, a *WHOOSH* passing you by. You look up only to see another one, and you duck. Suddenly, you jump, narrowly missing a badly performed circumcision. You fall to one knee and take a shot in the vague direction of Mettaton, landing a square hit to his shoulder. He doesn't seem the slightest bit phased even when his left arm falls to the ground.

"TIME FOR OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BREAK LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Finally, a chance to end this once and for all.

"Shit!" you dig into your pocket, fumbling with the revolver. You only just manage to fully reload your revolver before the break ends.

"IT'S HOPELESS DARLING. JUST GIVE UP NOW!" You snarl and shake your head. You have to do this. For her.

He sends his attacks and you dodge. You're getting tired of this.

"THE RATINGS ARE GOING DOWN," Mettaton frowns, but his smile is back by the time he looks at you. "COME ON NOW, THIS IS GETTING BORING!"

"Fuck you! I don't give a shit about your stupid god damn TV show!" You say angrily, firing another shot at him. It glances off.

"MY MY, YOU SURE ARE A TOUGH AREN'T YOU? ARE YOU STILL ANGRY ABOUT THAT HUMAN?" The ratings are shooting up faster and faster.

"Don't you talk about her that way you fucking queer!" He struck a nerve.

"SO, WERE YOU FRIENDS? OR...MORE THAN FRIENDS?" You didn't want to think about it, and here he was making you. 

"GO TO HELL YOU FUCKING DICKHEAD!" You scream and fire off two rounds, sure you had exhausted your cylinders ammo..

*BANG!* A bullet clinks harmlessly off Mettaton's chest armor.

*DINK!* You hit him square in the eye, but it seems like it didn't do as much damage as you expected.

"WHAT? IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?" Mettaton smirks, and you shiver with rage. You sprint at him, and he tries to stop you with a few of those heart things but you don't  _care,_ and you slam into him full speed bowling him over. The ratings sky rocket, but you don't care. You rear back your revolver and smack him in the face with it, your other hand alternating blows as you try to kill him. You've been screaming ever since he said that, and your vocal cords feel like their about to tear, but you have someone's as-

 _ **'someone to force your insecurities on.'**_ You begin to sob.

"Why?! Why did they have to kill my little sister? She didn't do anything! She was an angel!" The crowd gasps!

"A-a-all she e-e-ever wanted to d-do was to help p-people...and now she's dead." You stand up shakily, wiping your eyes and strengthening yourself. Mettaton lay silently, in the middle of the stage.

But you promised her two things, and you were going to try your best to fulfill them, even if the mercy part was kinda downplayed a bit.

"Sis, I-I'm going to see their king a-and you know what I-I-I'm going to do? I'm going to forgive them for killing you, and then I'm going to hope they'll f-f-forgive me. I'm going to make it up to you s-sis." You shamble towards the elevator, your body battered and bruised.

Your body may be broken, but your promises won't be. You owe her that much.

 

 


	2. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris makes way for the Last Human.

Your pockets are noticeably lighter, and you're just the tiniest bit worried. But you can't lose hope now, you're too far gone. You shake out the cylinder of the revolver, admiring it's features. It had grown to be a companion in the absence of your sister, with it's sleek sexy steel frame and it's waxed wooden grip. It was a deadly beauty, dazzling everything it came across with the .44 caliber pellets of death it unleashed. You count the number of bullets you have left.

_'One.'_

Well, that wasn't good. But you'll make it work. You admire the architecture throughout the castle, even the odd home nestled in one of it's massive corridors. However, everything was...grey. A stark contrast to the rest of the building, and an oddity in itself. Who has a house inside a castle?

 

"Hello?" You call out, hoping no one answers. You are met with only the echo of your own voice. Slowly, you open the door and walk in. Feels just like home. *****************************************************************************

"What did he do to you?"

"N-n-nothing!"

"He's drunk and you're topless, you can't say he didn't do anything!"

"..."

"If you tell me, I'll make sure he'll never hurt you again, sis."

"P-promise?"

"Yeah."

"You already know what he did, Chris."

You let you hand fall from her shoulder, looking down at your feet. You did know, but you didn't want to admit it. Dad always spent your family's welfare checks on booze and cigarettes. But this? This was the last straw. You were going to kill him. You stand up suddenly, digging through one of the kitchen drawers, your hand curling around one of the small, yet sharp kitchen knives.

"C-Chris! What are you doing?!" You ignore her. You yourself had long since ran away, but you still remember what he used to do to you. You couldn't take it anymore and then you fled, leaving Sis to fend for herself, like the coward you are.

 

But today, you were going to make him pay.

****************************************************************************************

And you were still here. Just a shadow. A shadow whose darkness is forced upon others in an effort to get rid of your own pain, as if hurting those who haven't done anything can really change the past.

"Welcome, to your judgement." A short figure stood in the shadow of one of the gigantic pillars, making his identity unknown. "Here, you will be judged for every action you've taken, every LOVE and EXP you've gained."

"LOVE? EXP?" You ask, although you're more focused on the judgement part.

"Acronyms. LOVE stands for  _ **Level of Violence.**_ EXP stands for  ** _Execution Points._** " He adds "And boy, you sure got a lot of those two, dont'cha?" The figure steps out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a skeleton wearing a hoodie, shorts, and slippers. The grin on his face never falters.

"I wanted you to look deep inside yourself, examine every action you've taken...but I see you've already done that." He turns his head away to look at one of the fancy windows, and then switches his attention back to you.

"You've killed a lot of monsters," He stares at your hands. "...and normally, I would just kill people like you before they even reach Asgore." he adds in, his grin never wavering.

"But you, look like you might do it for me instead." His eyes are downcast, and his pupils shrink.

"No." You half choke half cry, standing straight, your shoulders tall and your neck craned skywards. The skeleton looks back at you, his face ever unchanging.

"Heh." the skeleton chuckles.

"I may have broken a lot of promises, but I'm-I'm not gonna lose hope. I'm gonna keep going, gotta keep going gotta keep going -" you incoherently mumble and ramble, and you ready your revolver, with it's last bullet. You take a step forward. But you are interrupted by the skeleton.

"Woah there bud, relax. I'm not going to kill you. I don't need to, because you will NOT get past Asgore...and frankly? Any less work is a blessing, even it means putting even more guilt on that goat's poor shoulders." You stand stock still.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough, buddy." His eyes turn black, two pits of dark abyss.

And with that, he retreats back into the shadows, vanishing before your eyes.

************************************************************************************

 

"Howdy!" A flower pops up in front of you.

"Hello." You say, waving numbly.

"I'm Flowey, Flowey the flo-!"

"I know who you are." You interrupt, remembering how your sister sometimes talked to a yellow flower. She called it "flowey". You always thought she was just lonely.

"You uh...talked to my sister sometimes. I guess thanks? She was a bit lonely...before...she died." Your voice falters at the end. You're done crying today.

"Well then," the flower's smile was replaced with a flat expression. "you know that you need a monster soul AND a human soul to cross the barrier right?"

"No..."

"I thought so," he was quiet for a moment. "You won't make it pass da-Asgore, Chris."

"I go-"

"Yeah, you gotta try," the flower's face turned into a frown. "I know you loved your sister, but it doesn't mean you have to throw your life away. This wasn't what she meant."

Flowey disappears, and you're left alone.

 

**********************************************************************************

 

 "Hello Asgore." You walk forward, stopping before the yellow flowers. The aroma of nature's nectar and flora rush into your nostrils, relaxing you just the tiniest bit. He lets out a startled noise, and turns around to face you, his eyes light up and his smile is warm.

"Oh! Hel-" Asgore visibly frowns, and his eyes visibly dim. It's the first time you get a good look at him - he's at least four or so heads taller than you, sporting a lush golden beard and a rather threatening set of horns, however his visage betrays his menacing appearance.

"Well...I'd usually say, 'would you like a cup of tea?' but...you know how it is."

"Well, no one says we can't, now do they?" You force a smile, your shoulders shrugging. Asgore chuckles.

"You know what we have to do, and you know why. Seven souls to break the barrier." He says with monotonely.

"Or one monster soul and a human soul to cross it." You reply. He visibly stiffens and looks at you.

"How did you kn-"

"Someone told me." You interrupt. Asgore turns his head away for a second. He sighs, his eyes downcast.

"Do you know why we're trapped here? Why we kill anyone who falls?" He asks, his eyes still glued to the floor.

"No."

"Long ago, there were two races - HUMANS and MONSTERS. However, the HUMANS realized that monsters could become extremely powerful if they absorbed just one human soul, equal in strength to more than a dozen of their finest warriors. The MONSTERS were a kind and gentle people, but the HUMANS, scared and afraid of what could be, declared war." Asgore looks up, and lets out a weak laugh. "It would take every monster soul here in the Underground to equal just one human soul. We didn't even kill one human in the war, while they slaughtered thousands of ours."

"I'm sorry." You're staring into the distance.

"I don't hate humans you know."

"We would all be dead if it weren't for humans who wanted an alternative to the killing. That's why were locked down here, doomed to wither away..." Asgore trails off.

"Your kind seem to be holding up well considering the circumstances...maybe even a paradise." You compliment, your eyes downcast.

"We-"

"I just want you to understand that I'm sorry." You breathe in.

"W-When she died, I-I was just...just so lost. Confused." You breathe out.

"You know how many of your people I killed Asgore?" He shakes his head.

"Because I don't. I've killed so many that I can only tell by how much dust is on me." 

"B-But she didn't want this." you choke a little on your words, if only for a second.

"Once again, I've failed..."

"I know what you've done, human. I know what I've done too and it hurts. It hurts to know that you hurt so many other people because of your own emotions." Asgore looks at you, with a hint of empathy.

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are..." he sighs.

"And I am too." An arm shoots out to the side of his cape, holding a giant red trident. You however, are still staring off into space.

"You don't need to do this Asgore..." You finally avert your attention to the king. He shakes a bit, but he looks at the floor as if his life depended on it.

You reach for your revolver, cocking the hammer. One bullet, and it would go away.

"This isn't time for tal-" You put the barrel of the lead spitter to your head.

"My name is Christopher Thomas, Age 19, parents and sister deceased, born in Washington, Seaside." The king is silent, and you both lock eyes.

"If you ever get out of here, put me with my sis. That way she'll never be lonely," you smile softly, and Asgore is crying. He's vulnerable and easy to kill from right here, but you're done. You don't think you would know what to do with yourself on the surface anyways.

"Goodbye, Asgore."

"Goodbye, Christopher." You pull the trigger.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading guise

**Author's Note:**

> hey b0ss can I habe a comment pls?


End file.
